Stuttgart Reds Acquire Aruban Pitcher

For the 2023 season, the Stuttgart Reds went overseas to acquire a pitcher. They found one in Aruban-born Johnaikel Acosta, who has some experience in the Dutch hoofdklasse.

Born in 1999, Johnaikel made his first steps in baseball at the age of three. At the age of seventeen, he moved to the USA to play for the Florida Memorial Lions of the Sun Conference (NAIA). In two seasons with the Lions, Acosta posted a 6.09 ERA with a 3-4 record.

In 2022, Johnaikel pitched for Quick Amersfoort in the Dutch hoofdklasse. In fourteen appearances, of which seven starts, he posted a 2-5 record with a 6.60 ERA.
In the Dutch hoofdklasse, his opponents had a rather high batting average of .280. In 46.1 innings, he gave up fifty-two hits, fifty runs (of which thirty-four were earned), thirty-nine walks and he struck out twenty-six.